In the heart of the Rocky Mountains

Jasper. Two days of train and here I am. I eventually reached the Rocky Mountains. And I will follow them until Salt Lake City, in Utah, USA, before going westward to the Pacific ocean and San Francisco. I am also in a new time zone. After Alaska time and Pacific time, here is Mountain time (GMT-7, meaning 8-hour difference with France). And I returned to a more continental climate, with snow and cold (-10°C or 14°F).

The journey is lovely, as much as it was in Alaska (for those interested, here are some pictures). For train fans, like my grand-father was, it is a real pleasure. First it is slow. Within few flight hours, you can be at the other side of the world. But here, at an average speed of 50-60 km/h (35 miles/hour), you better realise the distances. And eventually, what is a 2-hour delay when the journey was already supposed to last 12 hours?

There is only one track between Prince Rupert and Jasper. And besides Toronto-Vancouver, it is the only one in the whole Canadian West. The only track is much more used by freight trains. Access to the Pacific ocean is rather limited as you can see. That is what explains the “traffic-jam” or even shut-down when derailment, as couple days ago. Once it re-opened, all the trains wanted to go. And believe me, our humble passenger train (one loco and two cars) is nothing compared to hugh freight trains. Some can pull more than 250 cars, meaning longer than 3 km / 2 miles!! Sometimes the track is doubled to allow trains to cross one another.

And you can make the most of the spectacular views of mountains and forest scenery, thanks to the panoramic view on one of the car. Here are some pictures.

And you will also find here pictures of Prince Rupert and its wonderful rain forests.

For info, all pictures can be found on “Photos” page, including the portrait gallery.